But more importantly, it shows employers that you have thought about and investedtime in your career. And that you can articulate the skills you’ve developed whilst atuniversity in the employers’ language about how those skills are relevant to the role theyare offering to fill.

Research, and other work, for the Project can be done as a team, however the evidencepresented for assessment must be your own work; there is a requirement for evidence ofteam work, however, ‘team work’ does not mean ‘group work’.

You will be asked to refer to the free resources available to support the award. These canbe accessed throughhttps://advance.ediplc.com/ePortfolio/Login

This is an example of a completed Award workbook.

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

2

1.You

-

Self assessment of skills &gaps to be filled

For this section, you will need to think about a job you are considering and an industryyou might like to work in. All employers will expect potential employees to be familiarwith their industry/sector. The principals behind thisresearch activity can be applied toany industry

or public sector role; therefore it doesn’t matter if you are unsure about theindustry/sector you want to work in at this stage. Data in this section will not be sharedoutside this project

(ie won’t be made public).

It is important that the industry/sector/job chosen as the focus of your research offerssufficient data to complete the required research eg a company’s Annual Report. You willbe asked to gather and generate sufficient evidence through thistype of information.

Much of the information required for this section will be available through internetresearch, however, it may be necessary to use other sources of information, for examplejournals and other resources.

Note: Completing the ‘self analysis questions’ in the free resources will help you answerthese questions–

The data shows just how many research-orientedcompanies there are and how varied the possiblecareers are. One of the things I need to think about iswhether I’d prefer to work in a large company or a獭慬ler⁯ne⸠䤠睡f⁡ 獯 獵牰si獥d⁨o眠wew⁷ nt⁩ntoApp.

1.1

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

3

hospital-based research jobs as that was one area Ithought would suit me; this is due to more small,private companies tendering for this kind of workaccording to a couple of industry contacts.

Research scientists from BiologicalSciences havegood record of finding positions, but they tend to befixed contracts which follow funding. The field isdiverse, but examples of stats from various sourcesare in App 1.2.

The data shows that I have a reasonable chance ofsecuring a PhD opportunity funded by the MRC asthey offer 1200 jobs. The data is encouraging for acareer in research, though they don’t give details ofsalaries. Further research suggests private companiespay more than public ones which use a formalpayment scale.

App.

1.2

1BEmployability in the sectors / industries

1.3Whatare the entryroutes intothissector/industry?

Target Wordcount–

50

Most are job-specific roles advertised via scientificmedia (New Scientist, Nature). This is because centresgain grant funding

for specific tasks. Largerpharmaceutical companies have a number of graduateentry routes; few participate in the Milk Round, butmany offer summer internships.

1.4Summarise

anysubject-specific

skillsrequired bygraduateemployers in yourdiscipline

and related areas?

Explainthree of the eight CBI /NUS skills that might be ofparticular importance.

Target Wordcount–

200

Skills Research Scientists need from leadingpharmaceutical company (source: University of Kent)



Intelligent



Attention to detailbut also able to see the largerpicture.



Prepared to do repetitive tasks.



Able to work independently, with little supervision.Make your own decisions. Self motivated.

skills are essential for a research scientist. Communicationand presentation skills are also very important. You alsoneed to be able to write well. For post-docs the process ofmakingapplication for funding can be stressful but is anessential part of the job."

Source: above article.

Problem Solving. The comment from list abovesuggest that scientists rarely have a Eureka moment–

perseverance is required to keep going when resultsaren’t what you expect or want.

Teamwork. Collaboration is crucial in research, but it’sa competitive world so important to ensure thatcontributors feel valued, part if the team and thattheir contribution will be recognised (in publicationsetc).

Research scientists must have a First or 2.1, so thosewho do well in their degree tend to be moresuccessful; partly this is because if you don’t like thecourse you are unlikely to want to carry on in a similarfield afterwards. Their working style is to work hardand diligently. Diligence is very important becausesloppy scientific work is quickly discovered andconfidence in its author lost.

These type of people on my course have a variety ofdifferent interests both regards science and outsidework; we also have students who like statistics & willlook for causal relationships between seeminglyunconnected events. And we have students who willhappily spend hours perfecting analysis techniques toensure consistency in their results. The small numberof commercial scientists I’ve met share a similardiversity of interests in both their work & outside.Personality-wise, all those interested in a science-oriented career have patience, attention to detail & aninquisitive mindset; we have often joked that wewould make good detectives because much of ourwork is finding answers to problems throughmethodical analysis.

1.6Complete the selfanalysis questions in thefreeresources (Link

viaePortfolio).

State your ownskills & attributes from thisanalysis

Target Wordcount–

25

Main strengths are problem solving and numeracy.

Weaknesses was identified asTeamwork.

1.7How do your skillscompare to those required?

And what skills do you needTarget Wordcount–

150

Numeracy is important in scientific research and I amstrong at this. Likewise problem solving–

you need to

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

5

to develop?

be methodical and show

resilience when a line ofenquiry you follow is a dead end.

Being a research scientist can be seen as a group ofindividuals loosely bound together by a common goal.Much of the work we do is individual, but it’simportant to share and collaborate with others ascollective minds can solve problems. It’s this area ofcollaboration & teamwork that doesn’t come naturallyto me that I need to work on.

Specifically I need to work on how I relate to otherteam members to ensure they feel valued. I maycomeacross as quite assertive. I also get nervouspresenting to large groups; I need to do this moreoften to give me confidence and maybe find someoneto advise me on my technique.

My interests are varied but include team sports(volleyball) where you rely on other people to do theirbit to ensure the team succeeds; this is similar toresearch projects where you often rely on colleaguesto collect and analyse samples to a high standard.

My working style is collaborative–

I much preferworking in teams & sharing data. My worst temporaryjob was one I ended up sitting on my own.

One of

my personality traits is attention to detail; Ilike to do things thoroughly. I’ve helped out withsome DIY jobs around the house and I like to use theright tools and measure everything carefully.

1.9What resources did youuse to find thisinformation? (List)

Target Wordcount–

50

Nature.com offer an excellent skills review service tocheck if you are suitable for a career in scientificresearch.

UoB’s career sectionlinks to around 40 sites whichgive advice about a career in science; best one Ifound wascareerinscience.co.uk.

1CJobs available

1.10 Identify differentvacancies, suitable for newgraduates,

available intheindustry

that you want towork in.

Target Wordcount–

25

plus Appendix

A screen grab in app 1.4 shows a three page of jobsfrom different sources.

App

1.10

1.11Are any of them thetype

of job that you wouldlike to do?

Target Wordcount–

50

My main issue will be trying to focus on which specificarea I’d like to work in. So far I’ve been concentrating

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

6

on diseases and working to discover new drugs tosolve some of the world’s major diseases, but havinglooked deeper into it, there may be other

avenues toexplore that better match my interests.

1.12What resources didyou use to find thisinformation?

Target Wordcount–

50

Main sites are New Scientist & Nature. Also manyUniversities publish their jobs in the careers section oftheir websites.

More commercial roles are found in the general jobsites like Total Jobs, Reed, Monster.

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

7

2.

Customer

& Business awareness

The CBI / NUS survey highlights understanding customers &

organisational objectives asvery important. In order to gain employment in your chosen field, it is crucial tounderstand the world you’re moving into.

You will need to conduct research intoa selectedindustry, and organisation,showing

understanding

of key issues and concepts such as customers, competitors and the keydrivers for the industry/organisation.

The industry can be commercial, not-for-profit or public sector. This could be theindustry/sector that you want to work in, that you used in Section 1, however, you mayuse a different industry.

It is important that the industry and organisation chosen as the focus of your researchoffers sufficient, freely available data/information to complete the required research, andgenerate sufficient evidence, eg financial data & reports. It can be a small business, butthey will need to let you see accounts.

Complete the following summary of your research findings; your full researchfindings should be included in the appropriate appendices

2ASector knowledge

2.1Summarise the keycharacteristics of the

industry.

You shouldconsider

factors

including

thesize and valueof the industry, the types oforganisations within it, andtheir

geographical spread.The products & servicesthey offer.

TargetWordcount–

100 plus Appendix

Pharmaceutical sector. Some very large, multinationalcompanies (Big Pharma is defined as Rev $3bn orresearch $500m). But also some very specialisedcompanies–

The above four factors will continue, but two factorswhich are set to affect the industry are political andeconomic. There is increasing political pressure fromthe west who have access to drugs to allow thedeveloping world who cannot afford them to beoffered lower-priced drugs, This causes two problems,one the obvious one of lower revenue per unit, though

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

8

this will be offset to a degree by higher volumes, andthe subjective nature of price setting (who is deemedpoor enough to benefit from discounts becomes amoral judgement). Secondly a grey market wherediscounted products from developing countries findtheir way back into Western markets eroding prices.

peopleexpect drugs to help them whatever the cost. Theseincreasing healthcare costs come at a time ofeconomic slowdown in the West whose populationsare aging the quickest, and are therefore ofteneconomically inactive. In other words higher costs forthe West who can ill afford it and who will have toration healthcare thus creating moral issues whichmay be directed at the pharmaceutical industry.

2.4What other factors arelikely to affect the industryin the future?

Target Wordcount–

50

Another

factor which may become more important isthe impact of piracy, namely companies in countrieswhich turn a blind eye to patent infringement. So farthis is mainly digital goods and luxury brands, butwith the high costs of drugs, the problem is likely togrow.

You need to choose one company or organisation from the industry/sector, and conductmore specific research relating to them

Turnover in 2011 2.7bn Swiss Francs(£1.8bn). Grossmargins were 19%, with net margins 10% afterexpenses. Debt was 2.6bn CHF, but much of that wasrelated to an acquisition in 2010. They employ 11000staff.

They have offices globally, including China & Brazil,but most of their staff are employed in the USA.

They are a plc based in Basel Switzerland and listedontheSIX Swiss Exchange and a secondary listing inSingapore.

2.7 Describe

the maincharacteristics of thecompetitors to your chosencompany?

Target Wordcount–

100 plus Appendix

Lonza is a medium sized pharmaceutical company, soit competes with the 19 Big Phara companies in App2.1. It doesn’t have any consumer brands, so it only捯浰ete猠睩th⁴ e⁂ 獩se獳′Bu獩ne獳⁤ 癩sion猠o映䅰p⸠㈮T

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

9

those 19. It also competes with many other medium

sized companies as well as some specialist companiesthat operate in its markets. It has seven divisions (seeApp 2.4). The one I will focus on is the BioResearch.

2CCustomers

2.8 Describe

theorganisation’s捵獴ome爠b慳a eg⁳izeⰠ癡vueⰠtypeo映bu獩ne獳F

Target Wordcount–

200

For the Bioscience division, they sell to centres whorun drugs tests & clinical trials. This can be hospitals &clinics who need to run biopsies through equipment toidentify tumours etc. It can be research deptswho arerunning investigative research projects to find newways of treating diseases. It can be high-volume drugtesting companies who mass scan medical samples.Lonza provide the kits, processes & materials to allowtheir customers to test for the presence of certainchemicals or anti-bodies etc.

For example, a university / hospital-based researchproject could be looking for ways to traet a particulartype of cancer. Cancer drugs can be quite blunt, ie acocktail of drugs are used in the hope that one works.By applying Lonza kits on sample cells collected frompatients, the scientists can measure how effectivetheir new treatments are in halting or killing thecancer cells. This type of research is going on world-wide on a variety of illnesses.

2.9 What are the key thingsthat affect the satisfactionoftheorganisation’s捵獴omers?

theirfinancial results,and shoulduse formulae in aspreadsheet package.Financial results can befound in their AnnualReport.

Target Wordcount–

100 plusExcel document inAppendix

On the face of it, the 2011 results looks positive withincome up 9%, expenses down 8%. However,compared with investor expectations, theshareholders don’t feel the performance was goodenough⁡ d⁣h慮ged⁴ eir⁃ l⁩n⁊慮′〱㈮

䄠獮Ap獨潴so映their′〱ㄠ癳′〱M⁩n捯浥mi猠in⁁ p㈮㠮O

App.

2.11

2.12What resources didyou use to find thisinformation?

Target Wordcount–

25

plus Appendix

Annual report on Lonza website

FT.com

(quote in App 2.12)

App.2.12

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

11

3. Your Project

This programme

requires you to undertake aProjectand then present a report on thatproject.

Ideally your project will berelevant to

the sector that you would like to work inwhen you graduate, and that this is the same sector that was the focus of your industryresearch, however it can be any suitable project.

Your Project must:



Havedefined objective(s) (SMART)



Have an action plan to achieve those objectives (with timings)



Must be completed overa period of time which allows time to collect enoughevidence (suggestion is 20 hours overfour weeks)



Involve min two other people



Include some leadership



Have an endpoint when objectives can be reviewed

Examples of a suitable Project include:



Delivering a netball coaching programme to a local school



Running an online auction to raise money for a charitable cause



Completing a conservationproject in a community space

Other suitable projects include an in depth research project for an organisation, anexperiment, designing or manufacturing an item, running a small business, a personalchallenge, a work-based activity.

To pass the qualification, you will need to complete the boxes which gives the assessoran overview (ie Executive Summary) of your Project. If required, you will need to includefull evidence in the Appendices. Evidence can be a discrete piece of evidence (written,image or video). If you refer to evidence in the Appendices, you should ensure eachparagraph is numbered; part of the requirements are to ensure the assessor can easilyfind the evidence you are presenting.

The presentation of the Project will also be used as evidence of Communication skills;that includes spelling, punctuation & grammar.

Research, and other elements of the project can be done as a group, however the workpresented here must be your own work.

3AProjectSummary

Title

/focus of project

Dissection

for Sixth Formers

Project aims/goals

To enthuse Sixth Form Biology students in the subjectthrough a short course of animal dissection.

3.1Milestones

&measures

to track achievement

Target Wordcount–

25

plus Appendix

It will be run in one school for Year 12s over a fiveweek period. Key measure is to count how many ofthe participants say they are considering doingApp.

3.1

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

12

Biology at university; target is to increase this by10%. Also to increase those saying definitely by 10%.

Timetable is in App 3.1

3.2Define goals andidentify the relevantmilestones to achieve them

Target Wordcount–

250

The goal of the task was to delivery five after-schoolsessions of dissecting five different mammals over fiveweeks. The plan

was to complete within one half-termto ensure some continuity; schools prefer clear,simple timetabling. The sessions would last amaximum of 90 minutes including any clearing up(which was part of the course), but because they wereSixth Form who didn’t

need parental permission andcould leave as soon as it was finished, they couldfinish earlier if necessary.

The first milestone was finding a school to work with.The plan was to run the programme starting inFebruary (post half term); this is after theUnit 1exams in January, but before the start of revisionlessons post Easter. I identified six local schools &contacted them via email the first week back afterChristmas (having found the email of the Head ofBiology before the break). I discussed withthree ofthem on the phone, then visited my preferred optionto meet the Head 7 Head of Biology. Agreement wasreached by 20th

Jan–

schools tend to work on a quickdecision basis.

The second milestone was the first session. This wasscheduled for a Tuesday which fitted in with theschool’s activity schedule & my lecture timetable (andI play sport on Wednesdays). The session started at3.45 which gave us 15 mins to set up after the lastlesson ended.

The final milestone was the last session and review ofthe pupils involved. The last session was kept a bitbrief to allow for a 15 minute feedback session. Thiswas the penultimate week before the Easter holiday.

The problem is that very few schools have theequipment or will to complete animal dissections aspart of the study of Biology.

Figures from the Biology Society show that all 3800Secondary schools with Sixth Forms offer Biology A

level. But of these, they estimate that only 10% runpractical sessions in dissection. It is very hard toverify this figure as there is no formal reporting, but itis based on anecdotal evidence collected by theBiology Society.

The reasons given are partly logistical (obtaininganimals at a reasonable cost), but also teachers notfeeling the extra effort to run dissection justices the

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

13

benefit to pupils, particularly when there are videoswhich show it in so much clarity & detail.

3.4Apply innovativeandcreative techniques toproblem solving

Target Wordcount–

250or

Appendix

I considered a number of ways of achieving theobjective (to increase number of students consideringa Biology degree) before choosing the dissectionproject. A table of fiveinnovative solutions togetherwith Pros & Cons of each can be found in App 3.4

App.

3.4

3.5Develop solutions to aproblem and justify theselection of your chosensolution

Target Wordcount–

250

Task: Identify a school who meets the three maincriteria–

local, can get min 15 attending throughoutthe course, 50% planning to go to University (anysubject but are doing a Level 3 Biology course (eg Alevel / BTEC National). Consideration was given totrying to reach more disadvantaged pupils, but theaim of

the project is to get more people choosing tostudy Biology so if I can reach disadvantaged pupilsthat will be a bonus but not part of the three mainconsiderations.

Devise a five-week, after school dissection class ofone hour. Use material that they are unlikely to haveworked with before. Initial thoughts are rats, frogs,poultry, insect, unusual plant, but this will be workedout with the teacher. There will be three UoB studentsto support (min of two per session), plus the teacher.The dissection will be in pairs unless the school canpay enough for each

learner; the dissectionequipment will be loaned from the UoB.

Reason for choosing the dissection project is that Ifeel strongly that Biology is a doing subject andpassion can be encouraged through

the studentsbecoming fascinated with the human body as I was.This project was the only one that involved the pupilsactually doing something rather than watching.

To overcome its main weakness that it only hits asmall number of pupils, I plan to treat

this as a pilot;if dissection appears to work exciting the pupils to doBiology at Uni, I’ll look at ways to scale it up. Forexample we could run these classes at UoB labs andinvite local schools to attend. Or devise kits &programmes for other Universities to roll outnationwide.

3B Project Review

3.6Reflectively evaluateTarget Wordcount–

25

plus Appendix

of around 500App.

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

14

your performance of a taskand identify your strengthsand areas for development

(this is a key task that requires considered

reflection)

Logistically it all went very well and to plan. Mystrengths were in self-management, namely ensuringwe had all the right equipment & supplies available atthe right time. Time-keeping was a weakness as I cutthings a bit tight and was caught

out once in the fivesessions which meant the session wasn’t as successfulas it could have been.

The Biology teacher loved our enthusiasm which wasclear to the pupils. The area for improvement was inthe planning–

we had to change the structure of thesessions into smaller chunks, something we couldhave chattedthrough with the teacher if we’d hadchance.

App.

3.7

3.8Analyse and interpretdata to support the decision

making process

Target Wordcount–

150

My aim was to encourage pupils to consider doing aBiology related degree at Uni. In terms of numbersthiswas hard to do with a small sample, but if half thegroup of 15 were going to Uni, then my target wastwo additional people to consider a course (ie doproactive research into courses & institutions). I did ashort questionnaire at the start and then afterwards.Of the 18, two were already looking at Biologydegrees, two thinking of science degrees. After thecourse, the two who were thinking of science degreeswere now actively looking closer at Biology-baseddegrees, plus two additional pupils. Success.

It was impossible in the timescales to see how manyof those turned into applications and ultimatley offers,but any scaled out project would need to measurethere stats to assess the value of the course.

3CSelf Management

3.9 Thinking about yourproject, how well did youmanage the project?



did it run to time?



did you achieveeverything you plannedto do?



give an example ofwhen you had tomanage your timeeffectively, and how youdid this

Target Wordcount–

100

The two main tools were a to-do list and a priorityranking. I used a 1-5 rating for each for urgency andimportance. For example ordering the animals fromthe farm was important so got a 5 (no animals, nodissection), but their turnaround was next day so onlya 2 in the urgency rating. Ordering disposable apronswas an urgent 5 when I found out they were needed,but we worked without them on the first session soimportance only a 3.

I tried a date column, but didn’t really need it for a獨潲t⁰roje捴⁬i步⁴ i猠慮d⁯ne⁴ 慴⁨ ppened e癥r礠

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

15

week.

3DTeamwork

3.10 Thinking about yourproject,how did you applyyourteam working

skills?



How well did you workwith others, and howdid you include otherpeople

in planning,delivery & review?



What communicationmethods did you use,and howeffective werethey?



How did you geteveryone to

co-operate?

Give an example ofhow

you worked

effectively in ateam,

respectingindividuals cultural anddifferences in background

Target Wordcount–

100

Whilst this was my project, I had two friends who tookit in turns to help. The delivery team was thereforetwo students plus the teacher. I lead the sessions, astudent friend went round & gave advise & help whererequired while the teacher did the same but with afirmer tone to avoid any horseplay. The only realdifference in the team was that the teacher was older,more experienced with young people and commandedthe respect of the pupils–

f⁴ ok⁦ull⁡摶慮t慧e o映th慴.

㌮ㄱ⁇i癥⁡ e硡浰le o映how

you⁡灰pied

negoti慴ion⁡ d⁰ r獵ssionte捨cique猠to re獯l癥proje捴⁣h慬lenges

Target Wordcount–

100

The Head of one school I didn’t choose in the end wasconcerned about the impact of bringing ‘animals forexperiments’ into his school. A reasonable concern慮d⁯ne he needed reassurance that this wouldn’tbring⁡ i浡l⁲ight猠慣瑩vi獴猠or 捯浰l慩nt猠i映it⁷慳a慧慩n獴⁴se⁍ 獬s洠晡ith⸠

For the second, I used a statement from the UoB’sre獩dent⁍ 獬s洠捬eri挠睨o⁳慩d⁴ 慴as they weren’tbeing⁥慴enⰠ䵵獬i浳⁣慮⁤ 獳e捴⁡ci浡l猠睨i捨chaven’t been killed in a Halal style. He checked this睩th⁡ 捯uple⁯映hi猠捯lle慧ues…⁷慳⁨ pp礠睩th⁴ e慮獷sr猠to⁨ 猠捯n捥rns.

㌮ㄲ⁈o眠摩d⁴ 慭work捯ntribute⁴ ⁴ e⁯utco浥mo映the⁰ oje捴c

Target Wordcount–

250

The Biology teacher was very important; he gavepractical assistance in planning & delivering thesession and then used his experience as a teacher inunderstanding the motivation & personalities of the

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

16

class. This ensuredthe dissections were completedand the pupils learnt what was set out in the learningobjectives. For example, if he disagreed withsomething I’d proposed, he would throw a gentlequestion in to get me to think about why we weredoing something. He wouldn’t give me the answer,but by posing a question, I would invariably do as hewas thinking all along. One such exchange was when Iwas suggesting using a hen as one of the animals todissect. He just asked how the class might react whenthey next had a chicken meal, particularly some ofthose who may have eating disorders (he knew atleast one of the pupils had self imagine issues).

The role of my student friends in the team was veryimportant when maintaining motivation. There weretimes when it all seemed a

bit too much hassle, whenlogistical issues seemed too high, when we couldn’tget the university of let us use their animals; my teammates kept me going with supporting comments,though not necessarily suggestions to resolve theissues. They just showedgreat confidence in me that Iwould find a way and reminded me how much impactI could have on some young people if we completed it.It kept me going.

3.13 Whatchallenges

werethere, if any, in ensuringthe team workedeffectively? How werethese overcome?

Target Wordcount–

100

Dealing with your friends in a semi-serious project cancreate difficulty. In this case, there was nothingmajor, but because they know you, they sometimesfor example cancelled a catch up meeting at shortnotice when something more interesting came along.They didn’t let me down during the school activitytime, ie they turned up on time and contributedfantastically.

I overcame the cancelled meeting issue by arrangingshort meetings straight after lectures when I couldgrab them. By having more frequent, but shortermeetings (ie a chat over a cup of coffee), they weremore likely to attend.

3EProblem Solving

3.14 Thinking about yourproject, how did you applyyour problem solving skills?

friend did a one-to-one to get her started). It wasessentially about a imaginary piano drill to get thefingers loosened up and the tension out of them; themusical bit was to fill the mind with positive musicvibes rather thanemotions about dead animals. Sobetween my lecturer, myself and my friend whohelped her with it, her fear was overcome and thefollowing week she did the exercise herself.

3FLeadership

3.15 Thinking about yourproject, how did you applyyourleadership skills?

Target Wordcount–

25

plus Appendix

of around 300(this is a key task that requires considered reflection)

Key role of a leader is to ensure the objectives aremet using the resources available. The team in myProject were thevolunteer helpers, the teacher &Head and my role as leader was to ensure all did theparts they needed to deliver a five week dissectioncourse.

Three key qualities are strategy (being able to see thebigger picture), empathy with team (being able topick

up vibes & acting where necessary) &communications (two-way, so listening as much astalking).

App3.15

3.16How would youdescribe your leadershipstyle?

How did you provideleadership for the project?

Target Wordcount–

200

Classic theory suggestthere are three differentleadership styles, authoritarian, democratic & laisez-faire. Authoritarian, important in some situations likeemergencies & the field of battle, wouldn’t have睯r步d⁨敲e⁰rin捩pall礠be捡cse⁷e⁷ere⁡汬癯lunteers–

agreed the most suitable day. I agreed a timetable ofhelp from my university friends. I suggested how theHead may overcome any objections from parents, butthese were only suggestions as he could use whateverarguments he felt suitable. The only area which wasn’topen to debate, particularly during the sessions, wasfrom the pupils; delivering the session required amore authoritarian style. This was not something Iwas used to (though obviously it’s the normal style inmost school lessons), but it helped keep order & keepto time.

3.17What are yourstrengthsof leadershipandwhat areas are there forimprovement?

Target Wordcount–

200

I believe my strongest skill is in communication. I’mnot shy, so not afraid to ask for help or ask for thingsthat will achieve the objective quicker. For example,the cost of providing the animals was relatively highand the school said they couldn’t afford more than atoken gesture. So I had to plan an approach to myHead of Faculty with good reasons why she shouldgive me £200 for thisProject. I arranged anappointment to see her and planned how I was goingto sell the idea. I practised on a friend, got somephotos of the school, got a quote from the teacher. Italked to a friend on a business course to ensure Icould talk the commercial side effectively.

One observation I wasn’t expecting was made by afriend while I was practising to see the Head ofFaculty: I was a bit pushy, bordering on aggressive!One example was that I used my finger to point a lotand that my hand gestures can be

a bit tooenthusiastic which cause a virtual barrier. I also usedquestions which suggested someone would be foolishto disagree, ie they weren’t really questions at all,rather pressure-inducing comments. To bedemocratic, I needed to tone down the assertivenesselement.

3.18How

effective wasyour leadership?

Target Wordcount–

200

Strategically, I feel I can usually see the objective &plan tactics that will achieve that objective–

in myProject I had several Plan Bs in case we had to changecourse, a couple of alternative sessions in casesomething went wrong with the original sessionsplanned and plans to involve other team mates ifsomeone dropped out. I was also thinking of how thispilot could help understand how to roll out nationwide,so that if I did have to change course, the revised planwould include understanding this issue of scalability.

Tactically, I was pleased that I was able to deal withthe two different types of team mate in different

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

19

ways, namely I could cajole & keep my studentfriends on board using informal and emotionalmethods. And I was professional & organised with theschool staff; I relied heavily on the expertise of theteacher, but by being organised, punctual & keen, hewas happy to support the project. The hardest partwas playing the role of teacher with the pupils–

learning how to lead / teach a group of teenagers issomething it’s difficult to pick up in six weeks!

3G Communication

Along with teamwork, communication skills are also universally requiredwhen working inany role, in and industry/sector. You need to show evidence of your use of communicationskills during your Project.

3.19Which were the mainaudiences you had tocommunicate with. Whatwere the maincharacteristics of theseaudiences and

how did youadapthow youcommunicated to addressthese

different audiences?

Target Wordcount–

200

The first audience was the school to encourage themto participate in the programme. The language usedwas emotional and focussed on the main beneficiariesnamely the pupils. Schools can be very quick-movingorganisations; for short term tactical issues like mine,they make a decision and then implement it straightaway. So the communication had to reflect this quickdecision nature, ie no long discussion papers, justsimple bullet points of the pros & cons. They had tobelieve in me, so I had to come across as someonewho would do as I said.

the instructions for the first fouractivities wereunambiguous. The last activityallowed some flexibility.

3.

Correct–

the approach to the Head askingpermission to run the programme was veryclear of the proposed dates, times & what weproposed to do. I had checked various Health &Safety guidelines to check what precautionswere needed at various age groups.

4.

Complete–

beneath the pupils instructions onevery activity were advice about scalpeltechnique, pinning out and brushing. They maynot need them each week, but they were thereif needed without cluttering up the instructions.

5.

Courteous–

it can be very daunting walkinginto a school as an adult. Pupils expect teachersto behave in a certain authoritarian way which Ifound quite difficult. Being myself, I tried to

treat pupils like adults (all were 16+) and thereforewent out of my way to be courteous.

3.21 How effective wasyour communication andhow did you evaluate this?In what ways do you needto further develop yourcommunication skills?

Target Wordcount–

300 (this is a key task thatrequires considered reflection)

Measuring effectiveness of my communication to theschool is very difficult; did schools not reply to myinvitation to participate because my message waspoorly communicated or because they simply didn’twant to participate in the project? For each of the sixschools I targeted, I found out the relevant teacher,got their email address where possible and sent themat 3.30pm (teachers skim read emails sent during theday, I’m told). It fitted onone page, didn’t have anyattachments and had a timely call to action. I hadthree next day, positive responses, one negative twodays later and I had to resend the other two whoquickly replied negatively. At the end of the project, Idid ask the teacherabout how effective mycommunications to the school were and he repliedthey were “fine”; analysing quality of sales messagesdidn’t come very easily to him. He was moreforthcoming about the quality of my communicationwith the pupils as he is experienced

in that area.

My communications with the pupils improved over thecourse of the six weeks, particularly my writtenworksheets. It was fairly easy to evaluate how goodthe worksheets were by seeing how many & the typeof questions they asked. The type wastoo small, itwas too wordy and the language too complex. I alsoexpected them to be able to figure out what to doafter reading the work sheet. The teacher stepped into clarify the first week, but by the second week I wasbetter; I also arranged a demo to show them what to

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

21

do rather than reading about what to do. By week six(albeit the pupils were now more experienced), therewere very few operational questions.

I need to further work on understanding my audience;so far I feel confident with educational

audiences, buthave no experience of commercial or businessaudiences. This will be important for my possiblecareer when presenting a case for funding. I plan todo another project next year and will make that morecommercially-oriented. I will then have

a chat withsome of the business lecturers if I feel I need helpwith that.

In terms of tone of communication to thestaff &pupils at the school, it didn’t differ at all. I treatedpupils as adults as much as possible and the languageI used was the same as university (defining anyunusual words just as my lecturers do).

The main difference was in the clarity of instructionwhich was direct and unambiguous–

with youngpeople doing an activity using very sharp scalpelswhen they have not done it before. Doing dissection inthe university labs, we are invited to completebackground reading and decide for ourselves how toapproach the activity; this was felt unsuitable foryoung inexperienced biologists.

3.23 Apply & analyse anacademic presentation interms of the 7Cs

Target Wordcount–

150

In a research simulation exercise, we were giventhree compounds to measure theefficacy andreducing malignant cells (ie see which one kills thecancerous cells most effectively). The technique wasstraightforward–

apply the compounds and runthrough a luminometer which measures cell deaththrough light. The key point of the exercise was howto present the findings to get them published in atrade journal (ie where they would be subject toscrutiny of academics).

The key C was Coherence; we had to present a clear,logical sequence of how the experiment wasconducted whilst keeping it

as Concise as possible.This is a difficult skill–

to include only those importantparts that show the experiment was thorough andreassured the reader of the accuracy of the datacollected.

It needed to be concrete of course-

the accuracy for ascientific experiment is crucial.

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

22

3.24 Your DevelopmentPlan. Having completedyour Project, describe thethree most importantactions you will take toimprove those skills you’veidentified as needing

development

Target Wordcount–

200

Leadership. I wasconcerned before the Project that Iwould find it hard to motivate others. I did find it hardas there wasn’t a lot in it for my helpers other thandoing me a favour really. Looking at how others do it,I think I have to work on my confidence–

the key tothis will be preparation, ie thinking of all theobjections teammates may come up with and havingthought about answers beforehand rather thanmaking it up on the spot.

Communication (presentations). I still felt nervous infront of the class at the end of

the activity, despiteknowing them by name and being able to joke withthem. Having spoken to a number of seeminglyconfident people, I think the only way to improve ispractise; I intend to volunteer for much more publicspeaking.

Business & Customer Awareness. I realised when Iwas doing the research how un-commercial I felt. Forexample, I didn’t realise how many subsidiaries Lonzahad, the significance of being based in Switzerland, ofbuying & selling companies & how that affected staff. Ihave started to read business & economic news andplan to enrol on a small business workshop run by ourCareers’ Office.

4Elevator pitch

A useful tool when preparing for a job application or interview is to produce an‘elevator pitch’, with yourself as the‘product’ being pitched.

An elevator pitch is a short summary used to quickly and simply define a product,service, or organisation; it should last approximately thirty seconds to two minutes,reflecting the idea that it should be possible to deliver thesummary in the time spanof an elevator ride… An elevator pitch may be presented in oral, written, and videoformats.

in countries where energy is expensive. So Idevised a reusable filter which can be dried, shakenand reused; it had a higher initial cost than boiling,but after two weeks was cheaper.

I remember I worked all night to test one prototype–

I couldn’t letit go. I wouldn’t say I’m obsessive, butas I said, I like solving problems.

University has been particularly good for me to learnhow to structure & formalise research. I’m far moremethodical, and with so much equipment available,has allowed me toreally explore alternative solutions.It’s also allowed for some great collaborative work–

sharing my methods with others has taken us onsome fantastic tangents, most dead-ends, but what agreat journey.

My career goals are to make a difference. Maybe I’man idealist, but if I can be involved in contributing tobreakthroughs in discovery, particularly if it helpsimprove people’s lives, then that would get me out ofbed in the morning. And if that makes a profit, thenthat’s fine by me; I may be an idealist, but I’m arealist that nothing gets done unless it hits thecommercial imperatives.

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

24

Appendices

Appendix 1:Self Assessment of Skills

1.1: Summary ofemployment statistics for course alumni

Graduate Destinations

Each year, every

university in the UK contacts all UK and EU graduates to find out whatthey are doing on a specific date, approximately six months after graduation. This is theDestination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey.

The following analysis is based on

the data supplied by

52 Biology BSc Honours

graduatesfrom Newcastle University who responded to our survey.

2011 Newcastle University

Biology BSc Honours

Graduates

85%

went into work, study or a combination of both.

Some of those took on voluntary orunpaid work to

gain experience in the not-for-profitsector.

Others were unavailable for employment, which includes those who took time out totravel, were ill or physically unable to work, or caring for dependants.

The

8%

assumed to be unemployed includes

those with jobs arranged to start after thedate of this survey.

The classification 'other' can refer to a range of individual circumstances, for example, EUstudents who return to their country for national service.

Explicit refusals are where leavers send back the questionnaire marking it as a refusal,write a letter stating not to include them, or verbally state on the telephone that they donot wish to be included in the survey.

Of those in employment,

55% were in graduate-level jobs.

BSc Biology provides aplatform to further specialise in the scientific sector. As such, some graduates take abreak from their studies in temporary non-graduate level employment to earn money tofund their further study. See below for detailed examples of further study options takenby our graduates.

£17,900

was the average salary of all of the graduates who supplied us with salarydetails.

directly apply the technical skills they have developed in commercial or medical laboratorybased positions, in areas such as biotechnology, electrophoresis, microbiology, andquality control. Others

secure employment in environmental work, or undertake specialiststudy in areas such as conservation, animal behaviour, and environmental consultancy.Some combine their scientific background with the transferable skills they have developedto secure further study in environmental business disciplines such as Renewable EnergyEnterprise and Management.

Studying Biology has equipped our graduates with a range of transferable skills whichthey are able to apply outside of the scientific sector. Some chooseto capitalise on thenumerical and analytical skills they have developed to work in financial roles such ascredit control. An enhanced ability to understand and explain complex information clearlyhas enabled some of our graduates to pursue careers in teaching. Others apply theirteamworking, presentation and time management skills to work in business andcommercial positions.

Below are examples of our 2009-2011

graduates' employment and further studydestinations.

Graduate Employment

Job Title

Employer

Assistant Technical Officer

Health Protection Agency

Biotechnologist

Lonza Biologics

Business Consultant

IBM UK Ltd

Business Development Manager

Tangible Benefit

Central Laboratory Operator

Procter and Gamble UK

Clinical Capillary ElectrophoresisProductSpecialist

Helena Biosciences Europe

Commercial Graduate

AB Agri

Environmental Health Adviser

Forth Sector

Environmental Management Assistant

AVK

Field Trials Officer

i2L Research Ltd

Graduate Management Trainee

VION Food Group Ltd

Laboratory

Assistant

Quantum Specials Ltd

Medical Laboratory Assistant

NHS-

North East Strategic HealthAuthority

Quality Control Analyst

Merck Sharp and Dohme Ltd

Technologist

Winchester Growers Ltd

Further Study

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

26

Course

Institution

BDS Dental Surgery

Newcastle University

Graduate Diploma in Law

Other UK institution

MBChB

The University of Manchester

MRes Animal Behaviour

Newcastle University

MRes Cancer

Newcastle University

MSc Bioscience

The University of Leeds

MSc Biotechnology

NewcastleUniversity

MSc Computer Science

University College London

MSc Environmental Consultancy

Newcastle University

MSc Industrial and Commercial Biotechnology

Newcastle University

MSc International Business Management

Newcastle University

MSc Renewable Energy, Enterprise & Management

Newcastle University

MSc Wildlife Conservation & Management

Newcastle University

Petroleum Geochemistry

Newcastle University

PGCE Secondary Science

Newcastle University

PhD Cancer-

Tuberous Sclerosis

Other UK institution

1.2:Summary ofemployment statistics for graduates within your chosen field

Medical Research Council:

Supporting scientists



Around 5,700 research staff are supported by the MRC, either employed directly in our institutesand units or funded throughgrants and fellowships.



We spent £86m on training awards for postgraduate students and fellows in 2011/12, includingthose in the MRC’s own institutes and units.



At March 2012 there were around 1,900 MRC-funded PhD students and around 400 MRC fellowsin higher education institutes and MRC research establishments.

Guardian Grad Stats (2011)

19680 graduated in Biological Sciences with 90.6% defined as employed or in furtherstudy.

1.10 Job Search

Use mouse to enlarge to see detail

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

27

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

28

Appendix 2:Customer & Business awareness

2.1:What are the key characteristics of the sector?

RevenueRank2008[48]

Company

Country

TotalRevenues(USD

millions)

HealthcareR&D2006(USD

millions)

Netincome/(loss)2006(USD

millions)

Employees 2006

1

Pfizer

USA

67,809

7,599

19,337

122,200

2

Novartis

Switzerland

53,324

7,125

11,053

138,000

3

Merck & Co.

USA

45,987

4,783

4,434

74,372

4

Bayer

Germany

44,200

1,791

6,450

106,200

5

GlaxoSmithKline

UnitedKingdom

42,813

6,373

10,135

106,000

6

JohnsonandJohnson

USA

37,020

5,349

7,202

102,695

7

Sanofi

France

35,645

5,565

5,033

100,735

8

Hoffmann–La Roche

Switzerland

33,547

5,258

7,318

100,289

9

AstraZenecUnitedKingdo26,475

3,902

6,063

50,000+

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

29

a

m

10

AbbottLaboratories

USA

22,476

2,255

1,717

66,800

11

Bristol-MyersSquibb

USA

17,914

3,067

1,585

60,000

12

Eli Lilly andCompany

USA

15,691

3,129

2,663

50,060

13

Amgen

USA

14,268

3,366

2,950

48,000

14

BoehringerIngelheim

Germany

13,284

1,977

2,163

43,000

15

Schering-Plough

USA

10,594

2,188

1,057

41,500

16

BaxterInternational

USA

10,378

614

1,397

38,428

17

TakedaPharmaceutical Co.

Japan

10,284

1,620

2,870

15,000

18

Genentech

USA

9,284

1,773

2,113

33,500

19

Procter &Gamble

USA

8,964

n/a

10,340

29,258

SUM

497,519

70,843

110,077

1,342,700

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

30

AVERAGE

24876

3542

5504

67135

2.2:Summary of the factors that affect the industry now.

1.

Cost & length of drug research (investment). The industry needs a pipeline of new drugs, but the costs ofthis R&D are vast, partlybecause of the volume of testing that needs to be completed before the drugsare deemed safe for use. This can take several years. The success rate is also low, so considerable sumsare wasted on drugs that can’t be sold.

㈮

Ability to patent & keep patent.Drugs are generally patented for 20 years to treat a particular conditionafter which they can be produced licence-free (eg paracetemol). To maintain a patent, drug companiesmust find a new application for their drug which will allow a patent extension. Issues around patents arecomplex & costly..

3.

Litigation. This comes from two main areas, consumers who may have suffered side effects from a drugdeemed safe and competitors disputing patents. The urgency to get a drug to market to recoup itsinvestment needs to be weighed against the huge potential cost of damages if it subsequently provesunsafe.

4.

Demographic

. The Western world that can afford the latest drug treatments are generally getting olderwhich creates new opportunities for drugs that extend life

with a higher quality.

2.7:Who are the main competitors to your chosen company?

Our Markets Are

BioResearch

Cell & molecular biology products, including quality control products for basic drugdiscovery and applied research

Tayco, the diagnostics division of Perrigo-Israel Pharmaceuticals Ltd., specializes in marketing and sales of medicallaboratory systems, reagents, accessories and consumables. It also marketsself-monitoring medical devices fordiagnosis and treatment of diabetes.

The division operates throughout Israel to service the central laboratory, hospital, clinic, point of care and self-testing markets. Our activities in the medical and research fieldsin Israel cover all market segments: medical(private and public health services), research institutions and the biotech industry.

Covance (USA)

Covance is one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive drug development servicescompanies with more than

11,000 employees in 60 countries. Throughitsdiscovery,

nonclinical,

clinical

and

commercialization

services, Covance has helpedpharmaceutical and biotech companies develop one-third of all prescription medicines in

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

31

the market today.

Royal DSM (Netherlands)

Royal DSM is a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. By connectingits unique competences in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences DSM is driving economic prosperity,environmental progress and social advances to create sustainable value for all stakeholders. DSMdelivers innovative solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance in global markets suchas food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive,paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials. DSM’s22,000 employees deliver annual net sales of around €9 billion. The company is listed on NYSEEuronext.

Source of competitors:hoovers.com (part of Dunn & Bradstreet)

2.10: What resources did you use to find this information?

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

32

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

33

2.11:Evaluation

of Company/Organisational

performance

“eg targets & success measures“.This should include analysis of

their financial results.

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

34

Formulas available in uploaded spreadsheet.

Summary: Financial statements from large organisations like Lonza are difficult forinexperience investors to analyse. Lonza is particularly complex as it is both multi-nationaland uses a series of subsidiaries (the figures above are UK subsidiaries). Readers will alsoneed to appreciate the nature of the industry in that investments in medical solutions arehighly risky with many products failing to be launched as they don’t work; the complexitiesof writing off these type of investment costs also add complexity.

For example, the 2011 results look good; income is up 9%, expenses are down 8% yetthey still fired their CEO in Jan 2012 for poor results!

2.12What resources did you use to find this information?

FT.com 25.1.12:

In a brief statement, the

board hinted Mr Borgas had accomplished the task ofrepositioning the group, but Lonza now needed a boss with stronger operational skills

“In the challenging years ahead, Lonza will enter a period of focus and improvement onthe return of capital,” said Mr Soiron.

Lonza, which has a record of ditching chief executives, has come under severepressure after surprise order cancellations hit its custom manufacturing businessbecause of lower-than-forecast capacity utilisation rates, leaving expensive plantsoperating below ideal levels.

The group, which exports the overwhelming bulk of its output, has also been one ofthe

biggest victims of the soaring Swiss franc. Last summer, Lonza reached agroundbreaking deal with workers at its core Visp plant. Staff agreed to work longerIncome Statement Lonza Group Ltd201120102011Income£m£m% change% of IncomeIncome from investments£153£13613%81%Called investment income because they refer to subsidiary companies (c50)Interest income£25£31-19%13%Interest rates have fallenOther financial income£10£743%5%Other income£2.0£1.182%1%Total Income£190£1759%100%ExpensesPersonnel£9.0£9.2-2%10%Relatively low cost as it's mainly group staff - scientists included in financial expensesOther admin£5.3£5.4-2%6%Interest expenses£28.5£24.516%31%Loans can be used for tax efficiencyOther financial expenses£46.4£43.76%50%This is mainly the support of tehir subsidiariesTaxes£2.1£1.911%2%Other expenses£1.5£1.47%2%Write-offs on propoerty, plant & equipment£0.5£0.425%1%Write offs on loans£0.0£14.8-100%0%Total Expenses£93.3£101.3-8%100%

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

35

hours for no extra pay to boost productivity and counter negative currency factors.Similararrangements have since been instituted by a number of other Swiss exporterssuffering from currency headwinds and high domestic costs.

3.1:Milestones/measures

Dissection Project Milestones

Startdate

Days

Recruit schools

Research to find contact

5.1.12

1

Email

6.1.12

1

Book appointment

13.1.12

1

Meeting

20.1.12

2

Decision

27.1.12

1

Organise Logistics

Book transport

2.2.12

1

Arrange loan equipment

3.2.12

1

Order & arrange payment for animals

3.2.12

2

Delivery

Agree delivery system with teacher

10.2.12

1

Prepare & Print Worksheets

12.2.12

2

Rehearse!

14.2.12

1

Lessons 1-6

21.2.12

6

Review

With teacher & head

10.4.12

1

3.3:Apply innovative and creative techniques to problem solving

Pros

Cons

Open Day at Uof Bath

See what a uni course islike

Transport–

lo睥r⁮ 浢er猠i映獣hool⁡ r慮ge⁴r慮獰ort

See that students aresimilar to them

Disruption to lessons forUoB students

Cheap

Risk of bad experience / putoff by individuals

Video of Day in Life ofBiology student

Quick & Cheap

Lacks impact (would be likea TV show)

Capture best bits

Not interactive–

䉩olog礠i猠愠摯ang⁳ubje捴

Easy to distribute to manyschools

School talks at manyschools

Impact–

the礠could⁳ee⁷慲e

ordin慲礠people⁬ 步them

呡qking⁡扯 t⁂ olog礠Ee癥nwith images) isn’t as good慳adoing⁩t

Easy to arrange

Time consuming & relatively3. Project

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

36

expensive

Lots of students would beseen

Talks at various times mayclash with Uni lectures

Webcam in Lab–

withcommentary wherepossible

Show various activities thatgo on in a lab

May be very dull if thingsdon’t happen for a while

Cheap, mass distributionUK-wide

After school when theycould watch it is likely tothe quietest

Modern style which youngpeopleembrace

Not doing again

Dissection Course (5day)

It’s a doing course &therefore fun & memorable

Limited number of studentsbenefit

Do things they don’t haveresources for in school

Logistically difficult to takeequipment

Help improve their gradesthrough understanding

Political & cultural potentialproblems

3.6:Reflectively evaluate your performance of a task and identify your strengths and areasfor development

I found a school five miles from campus which was OK as was on a bus route, but we

needed to take equipment with us (including the dead animals for dissection). In the end,we arranged a lift there via a SU minibus and got bus back. School was in a mixed abilityarea, with an established Sixth Form, and with a new, enthusiastic Head who

was verysupportive. Looking back, this was one of the keys to the success of our task; we had abad start (one of the Yr11 pupils fainted during the first lesson, his parent phoned up tocomplain she didn’t give permission…). She was vociferous and a weaker Head may havecancelled the course, but his support and the way he dealt with it was an eye-opener.Being honest I chose the school because of its location, but I would definitely take morenotice of the enthusiasm of the people involved if I did it again.

Logistically, things went smoothly overall. We came across issues we had to address thefirst week (like disposing of carcases, transporting dirty dissection boards, didn’t realise theschool wouldn’t have disposal aprons), but by second week these were ironed out. Howcould we have planned for these better? Maybe a ‘customer-journey’ approach where wetravelled each step as if a pupil. We could have spoken to the university technician abouthow circumstances may differ in a school.

The biggest surprise was in the attitudes of the pupils; they weren’t all very grateful forour efforts! Some were fantastic and really got stuck into it (and these were our coretarget–

to turn them into Biology undergrads), but trying to be positive with the apatheticand

frivolous was trying. How would I change the task to counter this? I would run a tastersession and try to discourage the uncommitted from returning. I wouldn’t want to excludeanyone as we had a couple of pupils who started off messing about but turned intoenthusiasts by the end.

Looking at my strengths in terms of the eight areas, I would say self-management was asuccess; I showed good organisation abilities and perseverance when some pupils weredifficult to motivate. I showed some leadership skills with my two friends who helped out;it was leadership in a democratic style as they were my friends, with the challenge to keepthem enthusiastic when things didn’t go well.

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

37

My main weakness was time-keeping. We had lecturers before we went so we were alwayscutting things tight to get there & set up in time. Once the minibus was delayed and wearrived to set up just as the pupils were coming in; the difference in attitude of even thekeenest pupils when the room was set up was very surprising. The only thing we couldhave done to allow for this (other than leaving our lecture early), was to have a Plan B withsomething simple the teacher could have set up in case we were delayed, maybe even astarter task. Changing the animal to be dissected, though, was not

The school staff were very positive as they were obviously grateful we had come in thereto help their pupils. One area we had to work on after the first lesson was structure of theactivity; we allowed the pupils too much freedom (like we have at Uni); 16 & 17 year oldsin this environment needed more direction and we had to break the tasks down, with moredemos & questioning to get the most out of the session. Running over the structure of thelesson in more detail with the Biology teacher beforehand would have helped, ie morepreparation, but we were both busy…

What the teacher really liked was the enthusiasm we brought with us, particularly as wewere only a couple of years older than the pupils–

she commented that the pupils askedlots of questions about us in terms of our backgrounds & schooling to check we weren’tfrom some exclusive school, but just like them! You can’t fake enthusiasm, so it’s obviouslykey to only involve those uni friends who really want to help or leave them behind.

3.15

Thinking about your project, how did you apply your leadership skills?

Three key qualities are firstly strategic ie being able to see thebigger picture so that hecan set a course to deliver the objectives. For example, the objective of the Project was toencourage pupils’ interest in university biology courses. The chosen route was through adissection course, but if for some reason we had

to stop half way through, it’s the leadersjob to change course to achieve the objective. So I could have set up a video of someoneelse doing the dissections at the university labs & commentated on them.

Secondly empathy with the team. Whilst a leader doesn’t have to be bent & swayed by theteam, he needs to be able to head off any potential problems, so knowing what the teamthinks is important. For example, one of my volunteer helpers was feeling under a bit ofpressure one week with her course workload; she didn’t want to let me down, but Iproactively offered to ask someone else to help one particular week to allow her time tocatch up.

Thirdly communication; if a leader can’t communicate what he wants doing, he’s unlikely tobe an effective leader inthe long run. That doesn’t mean barking orders, it means beingable to articulate what the objective is, what needs to be done to achieve it and tacticallywhat actions need to be taken. It can also mean encouraging interaction in democraticstyles, allowing others to share their thoughts.

Effective teams must have a unity of purpose. They must also be open enough thateveryone feels they are part of the team, and this is often shown by how much and howfreely they feel they can contribute, eg where disagreement is welcomed rather than seenas a negative input.

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

38

Appendix A–

Definition of the common OperativeVerbs

Describe

Give a clear description that includes all the relevant features-

think of it

as ‘painting a picture with words’

Define

Clearly

explain what a particular term means and give an example, if

appropriate, to show what you mean

Design

Create a plan, proposal or outline to illustrate a straightforward concept or

idea

Identify

Point out or choose the right one / give a list of the main features

Illustrate

Include examples or a diagram to show what you mean

Interpret

Define or explain the meaning of something (words, actions, etc)

List

Provide the information in a list, rather than in continuous writing

Outline

Write a cleardescription;give a summary of /

a general plan showing essentialfeatures but no detail

Plan

Work out and plan how you would carry out a task or activity

State

Provide a clear and full account in speech or writing

Summarise

Write down orarticulate briefly the main points or essential features

Analyse

Identify separate factors, say how they are related and how each one

contributes to the topic

Assess

Give careful consideration to all the factors or events that apply and

identify whichare the most important or relevant

Compare

Identify the main factors that apply in two or more situations and explain

the similarities and differences or advantages and disadvantages

DemonstrateProvide several relevant examples or related evidence which

clearlysupport the arguments you are making. This may include showing practical skills

Design

Create a plan, proposal or outline to illustrate a relatively complex concept

or idea

Explain

Set out in detail the meaning of something, with reasons. More

difficult

than describe or list; it can help to give an example to show what you

mean. Start by introducing the topic then give the ‘how’ or ‘why’.

OR provide details and give reasons and/or evidence to clearly support theargument you are making

Justify

Give reasons or evidence to support your opinion or view to show how you

arrived at these conclusions

Graduate Employability Award–

Biology student6th

March

2013

39

Appraise

Consider the positive and negative points and give a reasoned judgement

Assess

Determine the importance, size, or value of

something

Comment

Give your view after you have considered all the evidence. In particular

decide the importance of all the relevant positive and negative aspects

Criticise

Review a topic or issue objectively and weigh up both positive & negative

points before making a decision

Draw

Use the evidence you have provided to reach a reasoned judgement

Conclusions

Evaluate

Review the information then bring it together to form a conclusion. Give

evidence for each of your views or statements i.e. a supported judgement.